The candidate for the proposed "Mentored Quantitative Research Career Award" has multidisciplinary training and research experience in polymer chemistry and materials science. His expertise in the field of polymer chemistry, material science and vibrational spectroscopy has placed him in a unique position to apply this strong knowledge base to the area of biomaterials and biomedical/tissue engineering. The program outlined in this career development application adds a biological/clinical foundation to the candidate's background. The candidate will build his research knowledge, experience and understanding of the biological aspects of oral tissue development, disease processes involving oral and craniofacial tissues, and molecular biologic techniques through a multidisciplinary program that combines education, mentoring and completion of an innovative research study. The candidate's long-term goal is to establish himself as a productive, independent research scientist in biomaterials/tissue engineering with a specific focus on the development of replacement materials for oral and craniofacial tissues. Research activities will be completed in the newly created Center for Research in Interfacial Structure and Properties at the UMKC School of Dentistry. A fundamental goal of the Center, which is under the direction of the candidate's mentors: Drs. Paulette Spencer and J. Lawrence Katz, is to provide a research environment that serves as a catalyst for collaborative investigations focused on applying the principles of biological systems to the hierarchal design, synthesis and application of biomaterials. The candidate proposes to use novel high-resolution analytical techniques for direct in situ detection of the molecular structure and micro-mechanics of the bond formed at the adhesive interface with caries-affected dentin and sclerotic dentin. The work will identify the structure/property characteristics that inhibit the formation of a durable bond at the adhesive interface with these clinically relevant dentin substrates. Results from this work will provide critical, new insight into failure mechanisms at the dentin/adhesive interface; failure that can ultimately lead to premature breakdown of the composite restoration.